States should be allowed to decide on resumption of economic activities, says Baghel
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in a video-conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other 29 chief ministers on Monday, said that state governments should be given the right to take decisions on the resumption of economic activities within their states. Baghel also demanded that the states get the responsibility to declare red, green, and orange zones.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a fresh round of consultation with chief ministers of 30 states on ways to strengthen the COVID-19 containment strategy and stepping up of economic activities in a calibrated manner as the 54-day nationwide lockdown nears an end.
In the video conferencing, Chhattisgarh CM also that regular train, air travel, and inter-state bus services should resume after consulting state governments. Besides that, the CM Baghel said that the labourers should be given wages for 200 days under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Apart from that, the chief minister sought a relief package worth 30,000 crores from the Centre to implement various schemes amid nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
He reiterated his demand to sanction additional levy worth Rs 4,140 crore fetched by the Centre on coal drawn from mines of the state to the Chhattisgarh government.
Like health workers, the Chief Minister requested the PM to include employees and officials of the police department, municipal corporations, district administration and other departments under the PM Garib Kalyan Package.
